Author's Note: Thanks for the positive response, everyone! It feels so good to finally be at the point where I can write Jade and Lugia interacting, and really dig into what it means to be chosen. I'm happy to report that I should be able to stick to a biweekly chapter release schedule for at least the next 3 chapters. I'm really glad I finally can give you guys more regular updates! And as for why Entei and Articuno are not patrons... several characters will bring up that exact question throughout the course of the story.

Chapter 37: Combined Strength

I didn't have to wait long. I had just flopped onto the couch, feeling an unbelievable wave of tension leaking from my muscles, when the lounge door flew open and Ajia rushed in. She paused when she reached me, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Mew told me that you were talking with Lugia." She paused. "How did it go?"

There were a dozen things I could have said. A dozen ways to explain the ridiculous rollercoaster of emotions I'd just gone through. But all I did was open my mouth and say the two words that summed it up best: "I'm chosen."

At once, her entire face lit up. "I knew it! Yes! That's amazing!" she said, flopping down on the couch next to me. But then a look of realization came over her, and she added, "At least… I think it is. I know you wanted to stay out of this mess, but…" She gave a bit of a confused laugh.

I smiled weakly. "Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about it too. It's… a huge responsibility."

Ajia nodded slowly. "But… it also helps having someone at your back through it all."

Someone at your back… It was easy to forget that through everything that happened last year… all those times she'd shown such impossible willpower… she wasn't alone. How many difficult times had she needed to rely on Mew's support?

"When were you chosen?" I asked.

She rested her chin on her palm. "It wasn't long after the revolt, so… two years ago." Her voice held an air of disbelief, like she was amazed that it had already been so long. "The resistance had broken apart after our falling-out with the commander, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't have any more connections within Team Rocket, Sebastian had just flat-out told me I was a tool, and I didn't have any power to make a difference in the fight anymore."

I hesitated, unsure of how to word my next question. "Was… was it painful for you too? Being chosen?"

Ajia nodded slowly. "It's a test of resolve. All of the negative emotions connected to the fight, all at once. You're either consumed by them, or push through and join your spirit with the patron's."

Part of me couldn't help suspecting that she hadn't had quite as much uncertainty or trauma to fight through. But… no, that wasn't fair. Ajia had endured more than her fair share of pain. Making it into some kind of suffering competition wouldn't do any good.

"Anyway," Ajia went on, shaking her head as if to clear that topic. "It's been such an incredible experience, getting to know Mew. I've learned so many things I'd never dreamed of. And I'm sure it'll be the same for you and Lugia."

"Your Legendary didn't try to kill you." I had no idea why I said that, but the words were out of my mouth before I knew it.

Ajia's face fell immediately. "I… I'd forgotten about that," she said quietly. "Did… did you ask Lugia about it?"

I bit my tongue and shook my head slightly. Ajia and Starr were still under the impression that Lugia had made a mistake in attacking me. I wasn't too keen on correcting that assumption just yet.

"Well… I'm sure you'll have plenty of chances to talk about it," Ajia said, tapping her fingers together. "Though… I can understand if you don't want to until you get to know Lugia better."

She could say that again. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to pretend that the whole thing never happened. Even though part of me already knew that I wouldn't be able to forget it. Just like I hadn't managed to forget… various other things. Why would this be any different?

The conflicted and hesitant look on my face must have been pretty obvious, because Ajia smiled reassuringly and said, "Hey, so… I know this all feels overwhelming and such. Like you're lost and don't know where you're going. It was the same way for me. Back when I first got mixed up with Team Rocket, I never could have imagined it would ever lead to something like… fighting alongside the Legendaries."

My mind drifted back to the day that I saw Entei in the blazing forest. Of course I'd never expected anything like this at the time, but… looking back… In a way, it almost felt like I'd been heading down this path ever since that day.

"You know, it's kind of weird that the two of us both got mixed up with Team Rocket, completely separate from each other," I said distantly. "I mean, what are the odds, right?"

Ajia smiled. "Maybe it was fate."

I chuckled a bit. Lugia wouldn't like that way of describing it.

"Who knows."

We both fell silent after that. There were a million more things I could have asked her. We were both chosen. There finally weren't any secrets left. But I had no idea where to even begin. This was all so new and strange, and there were so many unknowns that it was impossible to focus on any one of them.

Ajia was the one who broke the silence. "I'm still really sorry that I dragged you deeper into all of this," she said, folding her hands in her lap.

I snapped my head toward her. "Hey. We went over that. I decided to join the Rebellion, okay?"

She gripped one hand tightly with the other, her brow furrowing. "I should have been more suspicious of it from the start. I should have known that Sebastian was involved."

Hearing that name was like a stab through the heart. It'd been so long since I'd had to think about how he'd used all of us.

"I would have done it anyway," I said quietly, a slight bitterness on the tip of my tongue. "I was already angry about not being able to help Entei." It wasn't as though I regretted joining the Rebellion. And yet…

"I should have warned you better," Ajia said, looking up at me.

What would I have done if she had? Would I have still gone through with it if my friend—someone I looked up to and practically idolized—had told me in no uncertain terms that it was a bad idea? Where would we all be now? Me, still at home, bored and driveless. The experiments, still imprisoned. Starr, still on Team Rocket. That wasn't a world I wanted to think about.

"I think… I think part of me wanted someone else to go through this with me," she went on.

I stared at her, lost for words.

"I mean, I know I'm not alone in this," she added quickly. "I've got Mew, I've got my team, but…"

It seemed like a weird sentiment… at first. But on second thought, I kind of knew what she meant. If I'd been going through something like that, without being able to talk to my friends… it would have felt crushingly lonely, even with Mew's support.

Ajia sighed deeply, her eyes sliding to the floor. "I shouldn't want that. I shouldn't be glad that your life will be in danger too. I didn't want to be the reason you got dragged back into this, after you asked me to knock it off."

"I was glad too."

She looked up at me in surprise.

"When I first started to realize that you were more involved in all this than I'd thought…"—I paused, taking a deep breath—"I was glad. Sure, it sounds bad to put it like that, but… we're both the same. And I'm not gonna lie, there's a part of me that's terrified of all this, but…" My voice trailed off. "Well, we have Legendaries by our side, so that helps."

Ajia nudged my arm. "We've got each other too."

…Yeah. We did.

I found myself taking her hand in mine, holding it tight. Now, more than ever, I was glad to have her by my side.

"So… now that we're both on the same page, Mew wants to talk to us," Ajia said.

My face fell slightly. Right. Couldn't just enjoy the moment. We had work to do. Work that I'd agreed to when I became chosen.

With a flash of light, Mew appeared before us.

[How are you feeling?] she asked.

"I…" I glanced at Ajia. "Pretty okay."

The psychic cat nodded, her eyes relaxing. [I'm glad. I do hope that it helps knowing that you're not alone in all this.]

I took a deep breath. "It does."

Ajia looked back and forth between me and Mew. "So… how have things been going back at Indigo?"

Mew paused. [It's been almost two hours and Moltres is still attacking the League,] she said, staring at the ceiling with a contemplative look.

I raised an eyebrow. "Still?" I would have figured their point had been made by now. Even if Ajia's deduction was correct, and the Rockets were only doing it to make the Legendaries look dangerous. "What's the point of dragging things out this long? It's almost like they're… waiting for something…" I muttered, my words trailing off.

Mew drifted back and forth in midair, fidgeting with her tail as she spoke. [I've been watching carefully, during the times that I haven't been with either of you. Moltres has gotten into a few skirmishes with the humans, but nothing too serious.] She paused, looking pensive. [We don't know how much longer they'll be there. We must make our move to free them soon.]

Ajia turned to face me. "We've been talking about it. Our biggest advantage is the fact that the Rockets are trying to make this look like a Legendary attack, like the one on Viridian last year. That means they can't openly use the full strength of their forces to back it up."

Well, that did explain why I'd only seen two Rockets and they'd generally avoided associating with Moltres throughout most of the attack.

"So are we gonna try stealing the Master Ball, just like we did with Mewtwo?" I asked.

Ajia shook her head. "Close, but I'm betting they're not carrying the Master Ball on their person. Not after we freed Mewtwo like that."

Right. Of course it wouldn't be that simple. The Rockets weren't just going to repeat their past mistakes, but… "They'd have to have the ball nearby somewhere, right?" I asked, sitting up straight. "Just in case Moltres got knocked out?"

She nodded. "Bingo. We need to force them to recall it."

A feeling of unease started to creep up on me. "How are we supposed to knock out Moltres?"

"We might not be able to, but we're not gonna be alone." She gestured to Mew. Oh… right. And I had Lugia, as bizarre of a thought that was.

[Also. There's someone I should introduce you to,] Mew added, gesturing to her side. The air next to her rippled and shimmered. Then a sleek crimson dragon suddenly appeared out of thin air. I jolted back, staring wide-eyed as it hovered right in front of my face without needing to flap its narrow, pointed wings.

[This is Latias. She's agreed to help us,] Mew said.

"Latias," I said blankly. Faint recognition stirred in the back of my head. "One of the guardians of Hoenn, right?"

The dragon raised a clawed foreleg. "*That's me!*" she said, her voice high pitched and melodious, like the chiming of bells.

There was something bizarrely mundane about meeting a new Legendary Pokémon while seated on a couch indoors. I was so used to it always happening during missions or in deadly, tense situations that this was so… calm by comparison.

[She has an ability that will be useful for this mission,] Mew said, gesturing a paw in her direction. Latias bowed her head. Then then surface of her feathers rippled, distorting, and suddenly she was just gone.

I blinked. "Did she teleport?"

"*I'm invisible!*" the dragon exclaimed, and the words were coming from right in front of my face.

"Whoa," I said, reaching out my hand and waving it in the air where she'd just been. I felt her claws touch my palm in return. When I stared very, very hard, I could just barely make out the slightest distortion in the air around my fingers, but other than that, nothing. Then the air rippled into her jet-like shape, and the dragon was back just as suddenly as she'd gone.

"*So you're the newest chosen?*" Latias asked, fixing her large, amber eyes on me.

I smiled weakly. "Yeah." But then my mind flashed back to what Lugia had just told me. "Wait, but… you're not one of the patron legends?"

She shook her head.

I frowned. "Why not?"

Latias tilted her head, bemused. "*Why would I be?*"

I paused, feeling a bit silly for asking. "Huh. I guess I still don't really know what makes the seven… like that," I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"*Ah, yes,*" she said, a look of recognition crossing her face. "*None of us is really sure why those seven were selected to be patrons. It happened so long ago.*"

I'd have to ask Lugia about it at some point. Maybe it knew more, since it was a patron itself. Although if Mew didn't even know, then…

"*Even though I'm not a patron, I want to do my part,*" Latias said, tapping her claws together. "*I know this place isn't my home, but Mew's helped me so much, and I want to return the favor.*"

"Your home region is Hoenn, right?" I asked.

Her feathery ears drooped. "*Yes, but… I've not been able to fulfill my duties as a guardian of Hoenn for some time now. Ever since my brother was taken…*" Her voice trailed off.

I frowned. "Your brother?"

She nodded softly, still looking down. "*His name is Latios.*"

A chill fell over me. I'd heard that name before. That was… that was one of the Legendaries that Sebastian had captured.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, hands clasped. "I can't pretend to know how you feel but… I was devastated when I heard he'd been captured."

Latias drew herself back in surprise. "*Did you know my brother?*"

My chest tightened and I glanced away. "No. But I knew the one who captured him. I… trusted him. And he betrayed everything we were fighting for."

For several seconds, Latias said nothing. Then she held out her arm and said, "*Then he has wronged both of us.*"

I blinked. Then I slowly held out my hand, and she placed her claws against my palm.

A knock sounded from the door. Latias instantly went invisible. Mew dropped to the floor, fur shifting from pink to lavender, ears growing, tail splitting, until she stood there in her usual Espeon guise.

Ajia stood up and went to answer the door, opening it a crack and glancing through. I craned my neck to see through it and caught a glimpse of Ajia's ranger friend Kari standing on the other side.

"We've got two kids out front asking for Jade. Friends of yours, I assume?" Kari asked. Ajia glanced back at me for confirmation.

I nodded. "Probably my friends, yeah. I'll be right out." I waited until Kari left before adding, "Rudy and Darren. They were both on the rebel team with me; they should know what's going on."

"Alright, go ahead and tell them," Ajia said, holding the door open for me.

I exited the lounge and made my way back to the front entrance, which was now a lot more open than earlier, what with most of the rangers having taken off for Indigo by now. Out front was where I saw them: Darren sitting at the bottom of the entry steps, picking at chipped paint on the handrail while Rudy stormed about the parking lot, kicking at loose gravel.

Darren perked up when he saw me coming and gave a small wave. "Hey, good to see you're alright. I know bad stuff always tends to happen when you get separated from us."

I rubbed the back of my head as I sat down next to him. "I wouldn't say always…" But no, he was right. This really did keep happening. I found my gaze sliding over to Rudy, unsure if I should say something or just leave him to his own devices.

"This is such BS," he muttered. He was pacing, fists swinging at his side, eyes staring at the ground with such intensity that it looked like he was trying to set it on fire. "They're gonna have to put the League on hold. Who knows when it'll be back up? If ever!" He gave a particularly hard kick that scattered a wave of gravel through the air.

I tapped my fingers together, glancing away. I had no idea whether or not he wanted me to comment, but saying anything felt too awkward, so I stayed silent.

"I was gonna make the top cut, I know it," he said, clenching his hands in front of his face. "Only eight trainers went 4-0, and the girl I lost to was one of 'em, so losing to her didn't hurt my score much." He glanced back and forth between me and Darren, clearly upset that neither of us had said anything. Then he pointed a finger at Darren and yelled, "You were probably gonna make it too! Doesn't that bother you?"

Darren looked awkwardly at me. "Well yeah, but I'm a little more bothered by the brainwashed Legendary terrorizing everyone. Just saying."

Rudy took a step back, clenching his teeth. "That's not... I mean yeah, of course I care about that, it's just…"

I couldn't really blame him for not focusing on Moltres. It was obvious he was stressed out by everything, and focusing on the tournament was just the easiest outlet.

My ears caught Starr's voice behind me, and I turned to see that she was in the entryway. Ajia was there too. And from the sounds of it, the two of them were arguing about something.

Darren glanced back and forth between me and Starr a few times, furrowing his brow like he was trying to figure something out. Then he gestured for me to lean closer and held a hand to the side of his mouth, whispering, "Yeahhh sooo… when were you gonna tell us that you've been hanging out with a Rocket executive?"

My stomach dropped through the ground. "She's not on Team Rocket anymore."

He gave me a look like I'd just said something totally obvious. "Well yeah, I figured it had to be something like that, but… still would've liked an update."

"Hey, come on, it wasn't really my place to go giving out her secret to everyone," I said.

He chuckled. "Alright, that's fair," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Is it alright if I ask what the situation is?"

I threw a glance back at Ajia and Starr. "We're still working on a plan."

Darren paused, mulling something over in his mind. "Well, I guess let us know once you've got it figured out."

I opened my mouth to reply, but then paused, squinting at him. He'd already pieced together that I was going to be heading back to Indigo, hadn't he?

"I wasn't implying that you had to come with me," I said, slightly unnerved by his tone.

Darren gave me a look. "You do realize we got the same training as you, right?"

"I know that, but there's nothing forcing you to be a part of it."

"Who's forcing you?" he said with a bit of a smirk.

I put a hand to my forehead. "No one, I just…"

"What are you guys talking about?" Rudy piped up all of a sudden, as if he'd only just noticed we were talking without him.

Darren stood up. "Jade's going back to Indigo," he said matter-of-factly, before I could give him the motion to shush.

Rudy gave me an incredulous glare. I sighed heavily before standing up as well. "We're gonna try to free Moltres."

In an instant, his annoyed and frustrated air just vanished. He stared wordlessly for several seconds before turning away sharply, fists clenched. A wave of guilt crashed over me. Before today, the last time he'd seen Moltres was the night that everything went bad. The last thing I wanted was to reopen those old wounds.

"I want to help."

I jolted. His words were cold and quiet in a way that was very unlike him.

"What?" I said blankly.

Rudy spun around suddenly, fixing me with a serious look. "I don't want any crap like this happening again, got it?" he said, jabbing a finger toward me. "If we free Moltres, that'll put a stop to it, right?"

That was… a bit of a simplified view of the situation. The Rockets had other Legendaries. They were still a threat, even without Moltres. But still… dull images of that night kept drifting to the surface of my thoughts. If we could put a stop to that, even in one small way… it was worthwhile. But I already knew why it was important. That didn't change that they didn't need to be involved.

Darren seemed to notice my hesitation. "We know what it's like to fight Rockets. In a way that other people don't. They shouldn't have to go through that," he said distantly, a strange sadness in his eyes.

"And if it'll get the tournament back on faster, then all the better," Rudy added quickly. From the look in his eyes, it was obvious he knew that the tournament was toast. But it was an easy excuse.

I gave a weak smile. "Yeah. That's also true."

He folded his arms, looking satisfied. "Besides, you were gonna go back there anyway, yeah?"

"Well… yes." But that was only because I was working with the Legendaries. They didn't have that luxury.

"Then it's safer if we stick together," he said, like nothing was more obvious. "We gotta watch each other's backs." I couldn't really argue with that.

Without warning, Rudy stomped over with the same intensity that he'd been storming about earlier. And then he threw an arm around Darren's and my shoulders, which was a little awkward since he was the shortest out of us (what with Darren rapidly approaching my height).

"The three of us, we're partners, got it?" Rudy said forcefully.

"Where's this coming from?" Darren asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Got it?"

"I got it, I got it!" I said, pulling myself free before I could lose my balance.

Rudy stepped back, nodding sharply with a stern expression, like he'd sure showed us.

Darren massaged his shoulder and said, "Let us know when you're heading out, mkay?"

It took me a second to realize that line was directed at me. "Right," I said with a nod. Then I turned and walked back up the wooden stairs behind us.

Inside the ranger station entryway, Ajia and Starr were still discussing something, and it didn't seem like a particularly pleasant conversation. Ajia glanced up as I neared, looking grateful that I had arrived right at that moment.

"Hey, so I've got a couple more things to figure out before we leave," she said, her tone falsely cheerful. "I'll be right back, okay?"

It was pretty obvious that she was admitting defeat as far as Starr was concerned, and was hoping that I'd be able to talk her down. But of course, I didn't point that out. I just said, "Sure, see you in a bit," as she took that opportunity to conveniently go find someone else to talk to. Which just left me and Starr again. And now I had to explain that my plans had taken a total 180 from what I'd been implying earlier. Great. Somehow I hadn't realized until now that this was likely going to be the most painful part of being chosen.

"So Starr, uh…"

I didn't want to drag her into it against her will—after all, I'd been angry when I thought Ajia was trying to do that. But I couldn't just leave her in the dark either. How on earth was I supposed to bring it up?

"It… sounds like Ajia's gonna be helping out back at Indigo soon." Because that wasn't a hopelessly vague statement or anything.

"I heard," Starr said dryly, leaning against the wall without looking in my direction.

"I don't… I don't know how I feel about her going alone," I said slowly, fidgeting a bit. "She could probably use our help."

Starr folded her arms, brow furrowing. "I don't want anything to do with any of this bullshit."

I bit my tongue. Couldn't tell her I'd been chosen. Had to find some way around it. "Yeah, but… it's gonna be our problem whether we like it or not, isn't it?"

I was starting to understand what Ajia had gone through. Even though she hadn't been banking on Sebastian revealing her role to us back then… there was probably a part of her that had been secretly glad that he did. Because this was agonizing.

Starr squinted at me disapprovingly. "Why are you suddenly so determined to be a part of this? What changed in the last hour?"

Oh crap. She was more perceptive than I gave her credit for.

"I… nothing changed." Augh, this was torture.

"Is this Ajia's fault?"

"No!" I exclaimed. "She didn't try to drag me into anything."

"Oh good, so you're just willingly throwing yourself into traffic. That's great."

I didn't want to dignify that with a response. But at the same time, I couldn't help noticing the pain hiding behind the anger in her voice. Not even an hour ago, I'd tried to reassure her that I wasn't going to put myself in danger, and now I was completely turning my back on that. Ajia, Starr, the Legendaries, my team… there wasn't any way to make them all happy.

Starr wasn't looking at me. She was still leaning against the wall, staring out the window at the trees. She let out a frustrated sigh. "I need a moment. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, got it?"

"I…" I started, but she had already walked past me and gone out the door.

'Don't do anything stupid'? I couldn't remotely guarantee that. And it wasn't like I could just tell Mew and Lugia, 'sorry I can't help, my friend told me not to.'

I let out a groan and sank back against the wall, sliding down it until I was sitting on the floor with my arms clasped around my knees. At this rate, our best option would just be to leave for Indigo without telling Starr and hope that everything went well enough that there wouldn't be any cause for alarm when we got back. Or something. That idea felt kind of dishonest, but I couldn't think of anything better at this point.

I sat there for a few minutes, chin resting on my knees, trying to force my brain to think about anything else. Was my team was healed yet? I kind of wanted to talk to them—Swift in particular. And I'd have to let them all know what was up before we went back to Indigo anyway.

I sat up straighter, glancing around the lobby. There weren't any rangers near the healing station, but there had to be someone still onsite who knew how to use it. After all, the Pokémon returning from the emergency site would need healing, right?

I had just gotten up to go check (maybe my Pokéballs had been removed from the machine and were just sitting behind the counter or something) when—

"Hey Jade!"

I turned to see Ajia peeking out from around the corner of a door that opened into the hallway. I tilted my head at her, nonplussed, but she just gestured for me to come over. So I shrugged and walked over, rounding the corner to see her standing with Kari inside a meeting room of some sort, featuring a dozen or so empty office chairs around a circular table. Kari shut the door behind us and Ajia kneeled in one of the office chairs, folding her arms across its back.

"Sorry about earlier," Ajia said, rotating the chair so its back was facing me. "I tried to break the news easy, but… you know Starr."

I nodded in response as I sat down, not really too keen to think about it. "So, uh, what's this meeting about?" I said, gesturing to the room.

"Just finalizing our plan," Ajia said to me. She then rotated her chair around to face Kari, who was currently leaning back against the door, reading something on her phone. "What's the status back at Indigo?"

Kari glanced up from the phone. "City's been mostly evacuated; the Elite Four and the rangers are helping defend people 'round the outer edge of the tourney site. If there was ever an opportunity for you guys to make your move, this is it," she said in a strangely matter-of-fact tone. Like this was business as usual.

"Wait, wait," I said, putting a hand to my temple, trying to gather my thoughts. "How much does the Ranger Union know about the situation? Do they know that Moltres is being controlled?" I asked.

Kari folded her arms. "We'd had our suspicions. But we didn't have any proof until Ajia told us about the Rockets. She also said you guys are looking to free Moltres."

I shot an incredulous glance at Ajia. She'd been willing to just say that upfront?

"If you ask me," Kari went on, "I find it pretty hard to believe that the other guardians are gonna take this lying down. From what I saw of the Viridian attack, there were at least four of 'em there. Shouldn't this be left to them?"

The Viridian attack. It was so surreal remembering that everyone knew about that. It wasn't just some secret known only to the people who'd gotten mixed up with Team Rocket. It wasn't like Raikou being targeted alone in the middle of the forest in the dead of night—everyone had seen it happen.

"If any other Legendaries show up, they'll just be targets," Ajia pointed out. "There's no way the Rockets would pass up that opportunity. Especially not with the tourney site deserted and no witnesses around."

Kari put her hands on her hips, giving Ajia an impatient look. "So what exactly are you lookin' to do?"

The slightest trace of a devious grin crossed her face. "We're going to distract the Rockets when the other Legendaries confront Moltres."

And there it was. Now it was starting to make sense. Ajia had revealed just enough about the Rockets to get the support of the rangers while keeping our alliance with the Legendaries under wraps.

"So now you're banking on them showing up," Kari said with a bit of a smirk.

"Hey, you just said you didn't expect them to take it lying down," Ajia countered.

Kari paused, looking reluctantly impressed. "Fair enough. You do your thing, the rest of us will do our part to protect everyone from the collateral damage. Cuz' judging from the attack on Viridian… there's gonna be a lot of it."

A chill fell over me. My mind drifted back to the rangers' attempts to keep everyone safe while the Legendary battle raged on in the skies over Viridian.

"Is… is everyone gonna be okay?" I found myself asking.

Kari gave me a deadpan stare, and I couldn't help feeling like I'd just said something unbelievably naïve. "It's the Ranger Union," she said flatly. "We're not afraid to step up to protect people from raging Pokémon. Legendary or not."

I winced. Right. Had to remind myself, it wasn't like they weren't used to dealing with disasters. Still, I liked it better when it was just us against Team Rocket and no one else.

"So you passed on the message, right?" Ajia asked.

Kari had gone back to tapping on her phone. "Yeh. Just got the reply from my squad leader. She's gonna let the cops and the Elite Four know to keep an eye out for suspicious folks 'round the tourney site." So we'd have their support as well. Granted, this also meant we'd have to stay out of their way.

"Speaking of the squad leader, I need to get out on the field before she kills me," Kari said dryly, stepping back from the door before opening it. Ajia stood up quickly and followed her out, and did the same.

"Nothing we said leaves that room, okay?" Ajia said as the three of us walked down the hallway. "I know the Ranger Union won't approve of us getting involved."

Kari gave an exaggerated sigh, tilting her head back to give Ajia a sideways glance. "Look, don't blame us, we're supposed to protect everyone alright? Letting a buncha random trainers into an emergency zone is a little counterproductive. And yes, I know you've got history with the Rockets, I know you've all fought them before, yada yada. That don't make it any better." She pocketed her phone and gave Ajia a serious look. "So I'm not gonna tell the higher-ups about what you're up to, but please just keep whatever you're doing under control, alright?"

Under control. Somehow I already doubted that we could promise that.

Ajia just winked. "Trust me."

We had our plan, we had the Legendaries on our side, there was no sense wasting any time. Moltres wouldn't be hanging around Indigo forever. It was time to make our move.

I retrieved Chibi, Aros, and Swift from the heal station. I was going to let the three out to talk to them. But then on second thought, it would probably be best to let my whole team know about the plan at the same time. So I found a good spot alone near the trees surrounding the ranger station and let all six of my Pokémon out of their Pokéballs at once.

Aros was still a little bit mangled—his wounds had hastily closed up with raw skin, which was the best that could be done with such a short heal. It would take an overnight treatment for him to fully recover. His energy levels seemed normal at least—antennae twitching with the usual alertness.

"You guys doing okay?" I asked.

Swift nodded with relief, while Aros gave a dismissive huff that generally meant he was upset about something, but that it could wait until he was ready to talk about it.

Chibi glanced around warily. "*We had to retreat?*" I couldn't help noticing his use of 'retreat' as opposed to 'escape.' An obvious implication that he expected us to go back. Still, I nodded.

Jet tilted her head. "*Why? What happened?*" That's right—she hadn't been out at all since before the attack. Then again, neither had Firestorm or Stygian. The Charizard frowned, his brow creasing with concern as he realized that something had happened, and that he'd missed it. But the Absol was glancing back and forth between me and Aros, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Without much of an alternative, I launched into an abridged retelling of everything that had happened this afternoon. From the attack on Indigo, to the fight with the Rockets. From our escape to the ranger base to our upcoming plan to return and free Moltres. Swift and Chibi already knew most of it, although the latter nodded approvingly when I got to the part where he'd managed to knock Moltres down. Firestorm's face fell progressively as the story went on. And through it all, Jet looked… worryingly unconcerned.

"*I don't really see the problem,*" Aros spoke up loudly. "*Doesn't this just mean we're gonna get the chance to fight those two Rockets again?*"

Well, I was glad to see that he wasn't shaken up by being utterly thrashed two hours ago, but still. "I mean… yes, but this isn't exactly the sort of thing we should be happy about, and I don't get why you're so pleased."

Aros turned away with a look of indifference that was obviously fake. Stygian squinted at him suspiciously before giving me a sideways glance. Then her gaze slid back to Aros and she said, "*You, me. In private. Now.*"

Aros groaned, but then she thwacked his leg with her paw before taking a few steps in that direction, roughly gesturing for him to follow her. I watched them wander off toward the trees, confused, but knowing well enough not to get involved.

Instead, I opted to focus my attention on Jet. "So, what about you?"

The otter tilted her head. "*What about me?*"

I shoved my hands in my pockets. "This Rocket business is new to you. I want to know how you feel about it."

"*It's great,*" she said brightly, and my heart sank through the ground.

"It's… really not," I said, a little more flatly than I intended.

Her face fell. Confused, the Floatzel glanced around at her teammates. "*I just wanna be a hero like you guys.*"

Swift gave her a sympathetic half-smile, like he wasn't sure how to tell her that there was nothing heroic about it at all. Firestorm stared downward, looking troubled.

"I… that's not…" I put a hand to my face, struggling to find the right words. "Look, I know the rebel stories sound, well… cool. But it's not cool living them. I hope I haven't made it sound like that, cause it's really, really not."

"*You saved legendaries. And you weren't even that strong when you did,*" Jet pointed out like she was stating the obvious. "*I'm strong. I could help.*" The hopeful look on her face was heartbreaking.

"We could die," I said, my voice dead serious.

But the Floatzel just stuck her nose in the air and said, "*We've gotten outta tough scrapes before.*"

"That's—that's not the same."

She folded her arms, giving me an incredulous glare. "*Well, you were already gonna help Moltres, yeah? So what difference does it make?*"

I opened my mouth to speak, and then froze. "Right, I guess it doesn't change anything." Either way we'd be fighting Rockets. What difference did it make whether we all had the right mindset or not.

"*If you're not going to tell her, then I am,*" Stygian's voice suddenly rang out, loud enough for me to hear her. I turned to see the Absol trotting back to us, looking rather disgruntled.

"*Don't,*" Aros called after her, but she ignored him.

Stygian came to a stop once she reached us, fixing her gaze square on me. "*That Rocket you fought. Her Flygon is his original.*"

I tilted my head. "What?"

"*His original,*" the Absol repeated with deliberate emphasis, like I'd somehow misheard her as opposed to just not knowing what that was supposed to mean.

I stared blankly at her. His original what? She still wasn't saying what—hang on. 'Original' wasn't marked as a descriptor in her words—it was an object. His original.

"That's the Flygon he was cloned from?" I asked, gaping at her.

"*Yes. That's what I said,*" Stygian said in the tone of someone explaining something obvious to a child. Aros had begun plodding back over to the rest of us, looking equally disgruntled.

"That's why you blew us off in that last fight?" I asked incredulously, snapping my head in his direction. "Settling some kind of grudge match?"

The Flygon turned his back to me. "*I wouldn't expect you to understand,*" he muttered, sounding genuinely hurt by my dismissive tone.

I stared blankly. "Do you want to explain?"

No reply. Of course not.

I ran a hand down the back of my head. "I guess… it's obvious that it's important to you, so I won't say anything bad about it," I said, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice. "But seriously though, you can't just bail on the rest of us in the middle of a fight." Ignoring orders from me was one thing, but he'd put Chibi in harm's way and completely screwed up our ability to strategize versus the Rockets.

"*What's it to you?*" Aros asked, still not facing any of us.

"*If we're fighting side-by-side, that means we're relying on you to support the team,*" Chibi pointed out sharply, glaring at the Flygon.

Aros's antenna twitched impatiently. "*Alright, I got it,*" he said, smacking the ground with his tail fan. "*Is that everything?*"

No, I still had plenty more I wanted to say. But none of it was necessarily helpful. Especially not heading into a dangerous mission where we couldn't afford to be too angry at each other. I could only hope that Chibi would rein him in if he went off the rails again.

"*Why is this fight your problem?*" Stygian asked all of a sudden.

I tilted my head at her. "Huh?"

The Absol's ruby-red eyes bored into me. "*You've been talking about this mission like you don't have a choice in it. Why?*"

Ugh, was I just that bad at keep secrets? Then again... I couldn't really think of any reason not to tell my team. Sure, Lugia hadn't specified whether "not telling anyone" meant human, Pokémon, or both, but given the options, it clearly trusted humans the least. And wouldn't I need my team's support if I was going to protect Lugia anyway?

…Ah, screw it.

"Because I was chosen by a Legendary Pokémon."

Now that got a heavy silence out of everyone. All six of them stared at me, varying degrees shock, awe, and disturbed fascination crossing their faces.

"*What,*" Stygian said, her voice a total deadpan.

"*What does that mean?*" Chibi asked, fixing me with a serious look.

I took a deep breath, searching for the right words. "You know how Ajia's partnered up with Mew? Well… it's like that, but with me and Lugia."

A sudden look of recognition crossed Swift's features. Chibi blinked, staring off into the distance with intense contemplation. Firestorm, Aros, and Stygian still looked a bit skeptical.

"Look. All this stuff happening with Team Rocket and the Legendaries. It's big. A lot bigger than any of us could have imagined. And if it isn't stopped, it'll turn into all-out war. That's why they're recruiting humans to help them."

None of them really knew what to say to that.

Swift was staring downward, considering something carefully. Finally, he looked up and said, "*You're referring to the writings on Midnight Island?*"

Aros turned to face him. "*Eh? You knew about this?*"

Swift ruffled his feathers, embarrassed. "*We didn't know how much truth there was to it. It could have been a myth and nothing more.*" He paused for a moment, and then looked up at me. "*But I suppose this proves it, does it not?*"

I swallowed hard, nodding. "Yeah."

Next it was Chibi's turn to pause heavily before making eye contact. "*You're in this fight for the long haul now, aren't you?*" The hybrid's gaze had softened; he knew how conflicted I had been about rejoining the fight.

I nodded again, and his ears raised slightly. "*Then you'll have my support.*"

"*Mine as well,*" Swift said, fixing me with a soft, reassuring look.

"*Hell yeah,*" Jet said with an affirmative nod as I tried to ignore the sting in my heart.

"*You already know my answer,*" Aros said in a low voice. Stygian gave the Flygon a sideways glance but then looked back at me and nodded curtly.

Firestorm's gaze darted between his teammates. "*I dunno what to make of this Legendary stuff, but…*" His eyes held a strange hesitation. "*It sounds important, so I'm with you.*"

I glanced back and forth at all of them, overwhelmed. Even if half of them had their own agendas in mind, that was fine. We'd still be sticking together through this.

I had my friends. I had Lugia. And I had my team. I wasn't alone.

I couldn't help smiling. "Thanks everyone."

With that settled, it was probably time to get going. I grabbed my Pokéballs and recalled my team… all of them except one. I couldn't explain why, just something told me to keep Firestorm out. The Charizard glanced around upon realizing that he was the only one still out, then tilted his head at me.

I took a deep breath. "Hey, so… is everything alright?"

"*I'm fine,*" he said, confused.

I shoved my hands in my pockets, struggling to make eye contact. "You sure? Cause you looked like you had something to say. And I thought maybe it would be easier if it was just the two of us."

Firestorm glanced away, chuckling ironically under his breath.

"Hey, come on. What's up?" I asked him.

The Charizard looked back at me, then let out a deep sigh. "*This is just like old times, isn't it?*"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He was silent for a while, mulling over what to say. "*I thought it had been long enough that we'd never have to go back to that life. Maybe that was naïve.*"

Oh. That's what was troubling him.

I folded my arms behind my head, staring upward. "Maybe it was, but I believed it too."

"*I don't want things to go back to the way they used to be,*" Firestorm said, tail curling around himself. He paused and then added, "*I don't want to go back to the way that I used to be.*"

I blinked, taken aback. "Hey, hey. That wasn't who you are, alright? You'd just evolved, it was a crazy stressful situation, and you lost control."

"*That doesn't make it less real,*" he said, closing his eyes.

I sighed. "No. But it doesn't have to define who you are. And the fact that it's affecting you like this… I don't know, doesn't that prove that you won't turn into that so easily?"

Firestorm rested his claws on his belly, nodding softly with a contemplative look.

I shuffled a foot against the dirt. "If you're scared, I don't have to send you out when we—"

"*No, that won't help,*" he cut in, shaking his head vigorously. "*I don't want to feel like I'm hiding from it. And… this is important. We're all on the same team, yeah?*"

All of us were a team. And that meant doing anything we could to support each other. I took a few slow steps forward and rested a hand on the Charizard's shoulder.

"Hey. It's gonna be okay. I'll help you through this."

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "*I'm supposed to be the one to help you.*"

I smirked. "Hey. None of that."

Firestorm chuckled. "*Hah… sorry…*" He shook his head and then straightened himself upright,

"Ready to go?" I asked, holding out a fist.

His gaze sharpened, some of the fire back in his eyes. "*Yeah.*" he said, tapping his own fist against mine.

I grinned. "Alright." And with that, I recalled Firestorm and took a moment to let it all sink in, alone. My first mission as Lugia's chosen, right before me. No looking back. Only moving forward.

And then, without warning, I felt an uncomfortable prodding at the back of my mind. Trying to ignore it, or focus on anything else only made it flare up twice as much. It was something related to Lugia. Something I'd forgotten. I'd forgotten to say something to it? No, that wasn't quite right. More like… I was supposed to be paying attention to it. Yes, that was it.

But how? It wasn't exactly here. Or was it? I threw a hurried glance upward, halfway expecting to see the dragon-bird soaring overhead.

No, not like that. Like this.

Like what? This.

I grabbed my head. What on earth was going on? It was like my mind kept flitting back and forth at random, and I couldn't control its focus at all. One moment I'd be thinking one thing, and then out of nowhere it would fly off to something completely different.

Here. Lugia was here. And I still wasn't paying attention.

What the heck did that mean?

Pay attention dammit!

I froze, blinking. "Lugia? Is that you?" I whispered.

Yes. Obviously. The idea was laced with a thick air of irritation.

"What… the heck is going on?" I muttered under my breath as I slumped against a nearby tree, struggling to process this weirdness.

[I told you we'd have a psychic link, didn't I?] the Legendary said, and finally, finally I was ready for it, able to distinguish its words from my own thoughts at last.

"I… guess so," I said distantly, still weirded out by the idea of its thoughts acting like my own. "But… I've heard telepathy plenty of times and it was never anything like this." Telepathy felt like a psychic was broadcasting its thoughts. Like a signal, just one that was picked up by the mind instead of the ears. But this? This literally just felt like having Lugia's thoughts come from inside my head. It was weird and alien and I didn't like it one bit.

A strange hesitation drifted from Lugia's thoughts. [Well, you're right that this isn't strictly telepathy, but there shouldn't be any functional difference.]

I blinked. "Wait, it's not? Then what is it?"

[I don't know, but—]

"How can you not know?"

[You think I know everything?] came the Legendary's irritated reply.

I wanted to say that it sure acted like it did, but that didn't seem smart. Thankfully, Lugia either didn't notice that thought or didn't comment on it.

[Also, you really shouldn't say things out loud when we're communicating like this,] Lugia went on. [Just direct your thoughts toward me.]

I furrowed my brow. "I don't really know how to do that. Saying words makes it easier to focus."

[Try it now.]

I sighed. Alright. I didn't want to, but this was kind of important, especially if I needed to communicate privately without giving away our connection. So I willed my thoughts to focus on the idea of Lugia as hard as I could.

Can you… hear me?

[Close,] it said. [I can feel a sort of… intent from you, but it's not specific enough to get words. Focus on my presence. Feel it. Direct your thoughts toward it.]

I closed my eyes and plugged my ears, trying to block out all other senses. I could feel my heart beating—faster than usual, but gradually slowing. But I shoved that feeling to the side, retreating into my own head, ignoring everything else. Just my thoughts. Not the forest, not the mission, nothing. Just my thoughts.

And then… then there was something there. Like a thought that was just out of reach, hovering on the tip of my tongue but stuck in my subconscious. My mind kept slipping past it, but I willed it in that direction, grabbing at it like a faded memory.

[Lugia?]

[There we go. Loud and clear.]

I opened my eyes, blinking. There it was. That inaccessible chunk of thought suddenly felt alive, distinct and separate from my own, but somehow just as familiar, like it had always been there. Its thoughts were still different somehow, but when I let my focus slip, it was like there was no longer any line between my mind and the legend's. I could feel it there, this overwhelming, overbearing presence.

[Not bad, the connection feels stable. You'll still need to direct your conscious thoughts toward me if you want me to hear them—everything else will just feel kind of fuzzy and subconscious—but it shouldn't take too much effort.]

[Really? So… you can't just hear all my thoughts?] I asked, a bit more overly hopeful than I intended.

[By focusing on my presence, you're opening a specific thought to me. Otherwise your mind will just be in the way. I suppose if I really wanted to I could force it aside, but…] It paused, dancing around the idea awkwardly. [Well, that wouldn't do us any good.]

I bristled. That wasn't too comforting a thought. Sure, it was nice that I had the option of opening specific thoughts to Lugia, rather than just giving it access to the entire jumbled up internal monologue all the time. But if it really wanted to…? On the positive side, surely I'd be able to feel if the Legendary were prying into other parts of my mind than normal?

[You feel skeptical,] the legend stated. [I understand that we have a long way to go before we'll be perfectly in sync.] It could say that again. It felt uncomfortable enough having someone else in my head without it being that particular someone. Lugia had said we'd feel each other's presence. Would it… notice the flood of anxiety that I got just from looking at it? Would it be able to feel the way my pulse shot up? God, I hoped not.

[Anyway…] Lugia went on, [the reason I wanted to speak with you is this: Mew has informed me that you'll be making the move to free Moltres soon.]

I nodded instinctively before realizing that Lugia couldn't see it. [Right.]

[We won't be able to fight side-by-side this time. Not if we don't want to give away our position to the Rockets.]

My chest tightened. [I know.]

Lugia paused, its mind dancing around the subject. [So… what I'm saying is good luck. I would hate to have to select a new chosen so soon after finding one.]

My stomach curled in on itself. That wasn't exactly something I wanted to think about.

Lugia's mind flushed with awkwardness. [That was… a joke. I will see you when this is done.]